My mom turns 82 this month. We think of people her age as having grown up in a simpler time: an era of milking cows, walking to a one-room schoolhouse, and listening in on the party line telephone. Imagine her parents’ viewpoint, though: The Great Depression left its mark, sons were sent to fight in World War II and then Korea, and food came from farm to table.

Imagine how her parents must have prayed–and for how long! She is the second youngest of eleven.

As a young teen, my mom was given John 10:27-28 as her confirmation verse:

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 ESV)

I sit across the kitchen table from her on Mother’s Day, eating homemade cinnamon rolls from plates resting on blue place mats she has quilted. We sip our orange juice.

“That series you have been doing on favorite Bible verses,” she begins. “You know what my confirmation verse was.”

“I think I do,” I smile. The cake decorator (and one of DDWG’s readers!) had iced it on the cake for her 80th birthday. “Is it John 10:27-28?” I ask.

I tell her I found it early this past school year and have been praying it all year long for the children in my life:

“Help them to hear your voice, Lord. You know them. Help them to know of your great love for them, and help them to follow you.”

I prayed it as the school bus left its stop in the morning and during the days when I knew they faced pressures from peers. I prayed it when they made bad decisions and good ones, and when I didn’t know what decisions they would make. Sitting on my prayer stool, looking at my work computer, lying in bed, day after day, night after night, I lifted this prayer to the Lord.

He is so faithful.

You can pray this powerful and effective prayer not only for young children, but also for adult children, coworkers, friends, and those hard-to-love people in our lives.

It is an effective prayer that comes with multiple promises! Look at all those benefits that come as a result of following Jesus!

Not only might we escape the consequences that come from following unwise voices, but we gain tremendous blessings, the kind that last forever!

Jesus promises eternal life–with him, in heaven!

We will never perish.

No one will snatch us out of Jesus’ hand.

For whom might you pray this prayer this week?

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (John 10:27-28 ESV)

Do you want to come to know Jesus and follow him? Join us in this prayer:

Dear Jesus,
I welcome you into my heart. I confess the things I have done wrong, and I ask you to forgive me. Help me to follow you. Thank you for loving me.
Amen.

Digging Deeper: My Sheep Hear My Voice

1. When do you find it most difficult to listen to God’s voice? What would make listening easier? Ask God to help you hear his voice and discern his will.

2. Does your heart ache for someone to hear and follow Jesus’ voice? This is a sign of your love for that person! Start with this or another prayer for them, and let God guide the rest of your prayer:

“Help them to hear your voice, Lord. You know them. Help them to know of your great love for them, and help them to follow you.”

3. Find out your loved ones’ favorite Bible verses! A long time ago, I asked my parents and siblings for their favorite Bible verses or Bible accounts for a gift I was making. I confess I have forgotten what my brother and sister said, but I remember my parents’ answers, and it is such a joy to run across those passages in scripture and be reminded of the people I love!

Worship and Praise

Ah, let these songs refresh you as you praise and worship our Good Shepherd.

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